OFF EUROPA: Premiere of the documentary from Maka Batiashvili Today in the Cinemateque Leipzig will first showing the documentary from Maka Batiashvili, "The Nearest Mountain" (2008). She was in August during the war in Pasanauri not far from South Ossetia and filmed a family in a cottage where they spend his life. Unbeliefable! die naTo Karl-Liebknecht-Stra?e 46 04275 Leipzig E-mail: info@nato-leipzig.de We were living in Pshavi my parents are from there, when school age came we moved here in Pasanauri, my mother was working in the dinner as a dishwasher and also was making Hinkali. My father was baking bread and selling it for twenty years, we didn't have financial problems, my sister was studying in the school and later I also went there. My sister took care of me , she brought me from school, she washed my clothes and then she carried me to my mother's workplace. After a while my sister started having psychological problems, the neighbors wondered why she became so ill because she was so pretty and clever. At the time I was selling some products in the market , sunflower , potatoes and beans. I met my husband's father and he introduced me to him. I work nearby ,beside the bridge on the bank of the Aragvi river. It was December my husband had gone to the forest to get some wood and at that time I became ill. I didn't accept it but they took me to Chachava hospital, I didn't have such a hard time delivering the baby ....... Diego was born . When the medical staff realized I was homeless and without family they thought that I couldn't properly take care of my baby. People at the Hospital offered to raise my baby and then bring him to me when he is a bit older , I did not accept that idea and said that I somehow will raise him . I thought I would not give my sun to anyone because I would never see Diego again . Also in Jinvali someone offered to buy my baby from me , I again refused .... Had I had many children I would not sell even one of them . - What is the name of that doll ? - Her name is Lia ..... - Do you have another doll which is dressed with something you made ? - No, there is not ! - For six years I've had this doll - At the time our parents were alive , when you bought this doll , is it not ? - Yes - When I talk to her she does not talk to me . Go inside by yourself ! - She does not go ! - My mother was pretty but not so much - People say she looks like our mother and me like my father - My face looks like our mother , yes ? - Yes ! Your face looks like our mother , is it not ? -Yes - Diego is coming from school , Diego did you do well on your lesson ? - Yes . - Did your teacher help you ? - No - What did you say ? Did you recite your poem well ? - Start the fire in oven ? - Let me show you my toys .... I play with this , with this tank - I heard in the news that Russian soldiers should go back through the Vladicaucasus way ...... Yesterday I heard that soldiers were taking people's daughter's into the forest ..... Soldiers are invading Georgians homes and intimidating and beating them and they are taking whatever they like . One journalist said that one soldier took even a fork , they are stealing everything . In one place they killed an 85 or 95 year old man . Why did they have do that and not let him die of natural death. They promised to go away the day before yesterday but they did not go . One Russian soldier said that they were waiting for orders. Before they give us an order we will not go. - She is my life and happiness , she is my little chick and I have nobody else she is my whole life , my sweetheart , I can not live without her .

In 2009, I bought a house with a fenced in yard, so I knew it was THE time for me to get a dog. To begin the process, I volunteered at BARK, a local rescue group in the Richmond area, to really get to know their dogs. From the start, I knew I was going to adopt a rescue dog. The problem was that I had to choose from so many deserving pooches with sweet faces staring at me as if to say, “Pick me! Pick me!” One in particular though did stand out. His name was Chessie and he had a deformed nose. The BARK staff told me that no one had really come to look at him in the 9 months he had been there, which they believed was due to his malformation. I must admit that I was nervous about adopting him because I didn't know if he was going to need medical attention due to his nose, but how could I say no. The staff suggested fostering. When I took Chessie home, he ended up being very anxious about everything. I would have to line my hallway with deli meat just to try to coax him out of my bedroom. He was afraid of the vacuum, the hairdryer, the dishwasher, the washing machine, the TV, the lawnmower … anything that made noise! Our walks were more like “pull Jessica around the block” and time outside to go the bathroom ended up being me sitting outside with him for 20-30 minutes just to be sure he went. It got to a point where I wasn't sure if I would be able to continue caring for him due to the stress of it all, especially when my dad came to visit with his power tools. We stuck through it and finally got used to one another. The vet said his nose injury was definitely some sort of trauma that he suffered, but he should ultimately be fine. He just may need some teeth extracted, as he gets older since they are so scrunched up on top. I don't know what happened to him, but I am so grateful that he is in my life now! He makes me laugh each day with his crazy antics and silly faces! People ask “What kind of dog is he?” or “Why is your dog snarling at me?” I tell them our story and it immediately melts their hearts. Nine months after I started fostering him, he officially became mine and it is truly “Who rescued whom!”